Apple’s huge campus construction project, recently dubbed ‘Apple Park’, was first announced by Steve Jobs back in 2006. Work began in 2013, and aerial photographer Matthew Roberts has been tracking the progress of Apple’s future headquarters in Cupertino, California with his DJI Phantom 3 Professional.

Apple Park

Apple Park covers a massive 175 acres, and the new campus is expected to be ready for employees to move in this April. Over 12,000 Apple employees will move to the site over the next year or so, while construction is expected to continue through the summer even after the park becomes operational.

“Steve’s vision for Apple stretched far beyond his time with us. He intended Apple Park to be the home of innovation for generations to come,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The workspaces and parklands are designed to inspire our team as well as benefit the environment. We’ve achieved one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world and the campus will run entirely on renewable energy.”

Aerial Photographer Matthew Roberts has been keeping tabs on Apple Park’s progress since March 2016. Things have come a long way in the past 12 months, and the view from above provided by his DJI Phantom 3 Professional is the perfect way to appreciate the progress.

This isn’t the first time Apple and DJI have been talked about in the same story. The two tech industry giants currently have an agreement in place for the distribution of DJI’s popular consumer drones. The Chinese drone industry leader has also been compared with Apple, owing to its eccentric CEO, its focus on developing user-friendly products and a willingness to iterate new models year on year.

Only time will tell if DJI can continue its market domination and maintain its position at the top as Apple has done. Of course, drones can’t really be compared with cellphones or iPods; drone pilots won’t be keen to part with hundreds/thousands of dollars on a yearly basis. And there remain question marks over the widespread appeal of consumer drones. For more on the challenges facing the consumer drone industry going forward, read our feature here.

Malek Murison is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for tech trends and innovation. He handles product reviews, major releases and keeps an eye on the enthusiast market for DroneLife.Email Malek
Twitter:@malekmurison